Requiem of Shadows
by Randalor
Summary: Shadow's Storyline


Requiem of Shadows  
The water lapped softly around the man's feet. He sighed, remembering the past, a time of when he was a thief, he stood and spun when a voice called to him.  
"The old fuddy-duddy won't wait for you this time." It was Relm, the man's daughter. He idle played with the ring his wife gave to him, his only memento of her, and shouted, "Tell the old man I'll be a few more moments." As she turned, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two black masks. "Well Baram, Looks like this is the end of us. Tomorrow, I begin a new life, away from this magic-user dammed village." He than turned and walked towards Strago's house, the old man who had helped him raise Relm, a solitary black mask in his pocket, the other buried in the sand, to be washed away by the morning tide.  
  
That night...  
The man sat alone at the table, writing a note while speaking softly,"...and Strago, don't tell Relm a thing about the fact I'm her father." He took an envelope and put the letter inside, than put it on the table, than went upstairs and opened the clock case, slipped off his ring and put it inside, slipped downstairs and called Interceptor to his side. He than left, never expecting to return.  
  
5 years later on the floating island...  
Shadow couldn't believe what he was doing. He was actuality battling the Empire and trying to save the four people who had come to the island to stop Kefka from taking the power of the goddess. He shoved one statue in, pinning Kefka against the edge. The island shook violently as parts were flung off into the air. Shadow Jumped over the edge onto a small path the four people took, running as fast as he could, slashing out violently at the monsters blocking his path. He say the group just ahead as they were preparing to jump. He shouted, "WAIT," startling the green-haired girl just before she jumped. "Shadow, there isn't much time," was the last thing Shadow heard as she leaped. He leaped just as the airship was taking off. He grabbed the chain just as the airship was rocked violently and torn apart. Shadow was flung off and, as he fell, he saw the land being ripped apart as if someone was tearing up a piece of paper.  
When he came to, he found himself on a great, barren plane. He stood, and looked out. He saw the land he had once known as the veldt destroyed, just a shadow of it's former self. He sought shelter in a nearby cave, where he found 4 other people. He avoided them and went farther back into the cave, not knowing what he sought, only seeking a place of rest. He found a chest and put his dagger, Striker into it. He then came upon a grand cavern, where in the center stood a gigantic dragon-like monster, which flung him against a wall. Just before he fell into darkness, he saw the monster preparing to feast, but ran and hid in the wall, than darkness overtook Shadow. When he opened his eyes, He saw Celes, Relm, Sabin, and Setzer, then he faded into blackness. He dreamed, the time when he had first left the little girl with the old man. When he came to, he found himself in the house he had left so long ago, at least 6 years, he thought. He walked to the clock, opened the case, and withdrew his ring, the memento ring. He than left, heading for the coliseum.  
  
2 weeks later...   
  
Shadow leaned back on a chair and looked at the crowed gathering to see his next fight. He had his mask off, so no one would recognize him and rubbed a scar over one eye, a mark from when he had gotten into a fight with the Doma castle guards, long before he had met Baram. He was just trying to get some bread to eat. He was very young than, living in an orphanage. Shadow had become the greatest fighter in the coliseum. They were all flocking to see him fight Chupun, the master of the coliseum. He walked towards the arena entrance and slipped on his mask. He strode out into the arena and looked around. He didn't realize that there were so many people left in the world, let alone Miranda.   
  
He laughed and turned to face Chupun, his hand already reaching for four tack stars, than when the announcer shouted out begin, Shadow threw them as fast as he could. They flew into Chupun and knocked him to the ground. He walked over to Chupun and put his foot on the monster's pink belly and leaned down. "I'm sorry, did I give you enough time to sneeze?" Then Chupun sneezed, sending a large ball of flem against a wall, turning a large part of it a sickly yellow color. Shadow began to laugh as people hurried to clean it up before the next fight, the fight were Shadow would get his precious Striker back. He took off his mask as he left the arena and sat down at a table, waiting for a beer to arrive as people came and went at the betting booth, trying to see who held the Striker, but didn't have a chance to see who held it. "Looks like the next fight will be a mystery for me, good, doesn't give me a chance to plan the best route to eliminate them." He stood as he heard someone calling his name, "Clyde, the person who's wagging the Striker is in the arena, you had better hurry before they leave, you don't want to forget what happened last time Chupun got there before you did." Shadow stood, grabbed his beer and quickly drank it, than ran for the arena entrance. He slipped on his mask, felt in his pocket for the Memento ring. Finding it, he quickened his pace, rushing throw the entrance just before Chupun got to it.   
He walked out to the arena and stopped all of a sudden, it was Terra, holding a bright bleu sword. "Shadow, what a surprise," she said with a smile forming on her lips. He reached to his belt for a dagger. Finding one, he quickly searched for some tack stars. Finding none, he drew his dagger in front of his eyes and waited for her to make the first move. She charged, and slashed downwards, a bright bleu beam cleaving threw the air. Shadow leaped to the left and struck out with his dagger, hitting her in the side. It bounced off of her armor and as she turned, she did something Shadow never expected, she swung the sword like a baseball bat, shattering Shadow's dagger and knocking him aside. He looked down and said, "You won, Terra, you win the Striker back, but can I have it back, just as a present?" She looked at him as he said, "Hope you like me hanging around, because I'm going with you to stop Kefka."   
Outside the arena entrance, he went out to meet them all. Sabin and Cyan welcomed him back with open arms, Edgar was flirting with the waitress, Strago looked like he needed sleep, Mog was riding on the shoulder of an abominable snow-thing, Relm was sketching, Gau was bouncing off of the walls avoiding the flying weapons while steeling food, Celes was talking to an ex-imperial solder, and the man dressed in the brightly colored clothing was mimicking his every movement. "Where's Locke and Setzer?" Shadow asked, "Or do I really want to know?" "There trying to put a blackjack table into the Falcon, they thout it was a little boring trying to find everybody." Shadow laughed. "Shadow, who's Didalos?" "Why" "He's waging his most prized possession for rare and unique weapons, and we may have something he will be interested in, and you've battled him before, so you'll fight him."   
Shadow took the Striker, 40 tack stars ant the Raganrok and went to the betting booth. He placed the Raganrok on the betting booth and went into the arena. Shortly afterwards, Didalos followed. Shadow smiled in amusement, this time Didalos came prepared. He was riding on a purple, demonic-horse like thing, with long curling horns, and war torn skin. Didalos himself was wearing pure black armor, and wielding a long spear. Shadow turned towards the door as Terra shouted something to him. He never heard what it was, because Didalos' spear came over Shadow's left shoulder.   
Shadow spun, throwing 3 tack stars in the process, not realizing his mistake until it was to late. The tack stars would never puncture the armor, but instead bounced off harmlessly. Shadow casted a bolt spell at the tip of Didalos' spear. Didalos countered by charging at Shadow but Shadow was prepared, he leaped strait up and landed squarely on it, than began running up it as fast as he could, the spear digging into the dirt from Shadows weight on it, and he pulled off Didalos' helmet. Didalos dropped the spear and pulled out his sword and dropped from his animal. He lunged at Shadow with all of his might, but Shadow ducked the blade, quickly slashing with the Striker, Didalos'ses face turning red from the blood streaming down it. Swiftly, Shadow leaped back, avoiding another swipe from Didalos'ses sword and thew all of his tack stars at Didalos. Didalos blocked most of them, but one slashed across his forehead, another stabbing into his hand. Shadow saw it a second before it hit a wall of electricity that would kill him if it hit, but a second was all he needed to slip on the Memento ring. It absorbed the blast that hit Shadow, defending himself against the blast, but threw him against a wall. He slipped off the Memento ring and walked up to Didalos. Didalos was lying on the ground breathing heavily and punched him as hard as he could. Shadow then walked out of the arena.   
After the fight, Shadow went to the betting booth and demanded his prize. The clerk gladly gave him the sword while saying, "Finally, somebody beat Didalos. I was getting bored of giving him all the good stuff. You going away now, Clyde?" "I'm finally going to do something about Kefka, If that's what you mean." "Take this merit badge, you may need it."  
  
3 Hours Later, Over the tower of Kefka...  
  
"Alright, Edgar, Sabin, Locke and Celes will be in group one. Mog, Umaro, Cyan and I will be in group two," Terra said, "And Shadow, Relm, Gogo and Strago will be in group three. Setzer and Gau will remain on the airship to pick us up if trouble arrives." Team one and two leaped off. Shadow turned to Relm and asked, "Why are you throwing your life away. There's no chance you'll make it." "My dad left when I was just a little girl. Strago toke care of me ever since. I just wanted to find my dad." Then they leaped. Strago created a pile of bubbles to land on, while Gogo used his cape as a parachute. Shadow landed hard, with Relm landing on his shoulders shortly afterwards. He put her down and said, "Alright, let's go."  
Team One and Two leaped off. Shadow turned towards Relm, "You don't have to go, you know," "Yes, but I wanna get back at Kefka for all he did to my home and friends." Shadow turned and leaped off, followed close behind by Relm, Strago and Gogo. Shadow landed hard and nearly fell over when Relm landed on his shoulders. He side-stepped left, expecting Strago and Gogo to land, but saw how Gogo was using his cape to float down, and Strago had a float spell active. He went down the stairs.  
Heading threw the doors, Shadow entered a mechanical hell. It was hard to tell what the walls were made of, but shadow suspected they were the remains of the magitek factory. They made there way carefully threw the area, avoiding the places where it looked like it might fall in. Suddenly, a monster jumped down from a support beam, it's eyes glowing yellow in the darkened hall, it's armor-like green skin let off a faint glow, two razor-sharp claws where its hands were supposed to be.   
It merely stood there, looking at them, until Relm ant Strago casted a vanish-Doom combination. They rested there for a few moments, then continued on battling monsters at every turn until they entered a hallway with a dragon skeleton with a shining object in it's eye. Relm rushed forwards to grab it. When she started to climb the stage, the skeleton started to rise up, two red fireballs where it's eyes used to be. Shadow threw a phoenix down at it, hoping to destroy it like he destroyed the phantom train. The skeleton rose up, skin and muscle starting to form on the fragile bones, but the bones broke under the pressure forming from the reformation of life, and the dragon collapsed, the shards of bone ripping it to shreds.  
Shadow took the esper and stuck it in his backpack and went on, not realizing that the greatest battle for the world waited for him. He kept on going threw the maze of machine parts and rock, until he ran into the Guardian, the defense robot of the empirial palace. It's dual chainguns instantly drew a bead on them, and started charging up to attack, but shadow threw the thunder blade at it, the blade slicing threw metal and electronics, shutting down the machine forever. They hurried on to the top of the tower, where the rest of the group waited.  
  
One hour later...  
Shadow watched in horror as Relm was blasted out of the battle. He rushed to her side and gave her an elixir. Than, reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the merit badge and memento ring, put them on.  
He walked over to Terra and took the Illumina and Atma swords and rushed at Kefka and leaped onto his back and began swinging the swords with all his might. Kefka casted fallen one, but the memento ring adsorbed it and fed to Shadows rage. Kefka reached up and threw Shadow off, turned and disposed of Cyan. Shadow threw both swords at Kefka, than took the striker and began hacking at Kefka's neck felling the monster's life flowing onto his hands. Kefka screamed, and fell over. Shadow felt the tower starting to shake apart and leaped over the edge, using every available ledge to survive the fall.   
When he landed, he turned and saw a little colored speck taking a similar course down. Shadow took off his mask and wiped his brow, watching the tower collapse. When Gogo landed beside him, all he said was, "It's been a long time Baram." Gogo turned and looked at him, "How did you know who I was? It's been over eleven years." "Your fighting style never changes, not after one year, or eleven. And anyways, you were always a bad dresser." Shadow ducked under Gogo's fist and laughed. "You still got the money?" Gogo asked. "Yes, I knew you were still alive, somewhere. Let's get it, I could use some money raising my kid." "You, of all people, have a kid?" Gogo looked shocked, "Someone actually let you raise a kid? Let me guess, a little girl who could have been a teacher or a priest, but instead is a little hellraiser." "You already meet her." "You can't be serious, Relm?" "Yes."  
  
Several weeks later, and a million gold pieces richer...  
Relm answered the door. "Hello shadow, Hello Gogo." "Hi Relm, is Strago home, I have something I want to tell him." "No, he's down by the beach. Ever since the magic left, he's taken up fishing." Shadow and Gogo went down to the beach to talk to Strago, but meet him on the way. "Strago, I've returned to raise my kid." Shadow said. "Well, it's about time. But there aren't many jobs left, unless you like farming for a living." "Strago, we have a million gold pieces. We don't need to work." "Well then, now your talking." Gogo just laughed at that.  
  
The end.   
  
  



End file.
